Switch 2 not using drift-proof Hall effect joy sticks

Nintendo has confirmed that the control sticks in the Joy-Con 2 controllers do not use the popular magnetic Hall effect mechanism.

That said, in a second report, Nintendo claimed that the joysticks have been redesigned to be more durable, so ideally, drift will be less of a problem.

Hall-effect sticks would have been nice to see because they use magnets and electrical conduction to measure the joystick’s position. This eliminates the potential for stick drift since no pieces can easily be misaligned or broken. Having said that, the included magnets and their proximity to the new magnetic attachment mechanism in the new controller might have caused issues.

The original Joy-Cons were notorious for having stick drift, which was either caused by debris getting inside the joystick or worn-down parts inside. Technically, since Nintendo has never addressed the issue, we don’t know the official cause, but those are the two main theories online.

Ideally, Nintendo would know where the most common points of failure were on the old Joy-Cons and hopefully worked to remedy them with this upgrade, but it hasn’t given a clear answer, so this could all be wishful thinking.

In the same VGC report, Nate Bihldorff, senior vice president of product development and publishing, also claimed that the first time he ever held the Switch 2 Pro Controller he got GameCube vibes from it. He also went on to mention that Nintendo worked to make the new Pro Controller quieter than before, which will help make it friendlier to late-night gaming sessions.

The new Joy-Con also has a mouse mode you can read more about in our previous coverage. It lets you play first-person shooter games more like you would on a PC and also unlocks some fun mini-game potential in titles like Mario Party.

Pre-orders for the Switch 2 go live on April 9. The console will cost $629, or $699 if you want it bundled with Mario Kart World.

Header image credit: Nintendo (screenshot)

Source: VGC